


Better Late Than Never

by angelus2hot



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Community: fandomhits, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Romance, Slice of Life, Temporarily Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-08
Updated: 2016-10-08
Packaged: 2018-08-20 05:25:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8237638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelus2hot/pseuds/angelus2hot
Summary: Rodney takes a much needed break.





	

**Author's Note:**

> **Title:** Better Late Than Never  
>  **Fandom:** Stargate Atlantis  
>  **Characters/Pairing:** John Sheppard/Rodney McKay  
>  **Rating:** PG-13  
>  **Word Count:** 1,059  
>  **Summary:** Rodney takes a much needed break.  
>  **A/N:** written for for the song 'Toes by Zac Brown Band' on my [playlist](http://angelus2hot.livejournal.com/647953.html)

John’s mouth hung open. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Rodney McKay was sitting on the ground with his toes dangling in the water drinking a beer with no laptop in sight. Something was definitely wrong with this picture. “What are you doing?”

Rodney grabbed another beer out of the cooler sitting beside him and popped the top before looking up at John and raising the can to his lips. “What does it look like?” 

“I don’t get it, Rodney. This isn’t like you. First you blow up at Elizabeth and then you take off. You actually stole a puddlejumper.” John tried to hide the fact he was very impressed. It took balls for Rodney to even think about doing such a thing much less acting on them. He hadn’t thought the man had it in him. 

“I needed to get away, take a break, have a little vacation if you will. And I checked. There’s nothing going on right now. At least nothing Radek can’t handle or mess up too badly that I can’t fix it when I get back.” _Hopefully._ The word was muttered under his breath barely loud enough for John to hear.

A look of dawning crossed John’s face. “It wasn’t your fault.” Somehow Rodney had made a mistake, a miscalculation and apparently it was the end of the world. “I...”

But before he could finish his sentence Rodney was already shaking his head.

He couldn’t, he wouldn’t... there was no way he was going to talk about what happened not even with John. Especially not with John. “Don’t.”

John held up his hands in surrender. “How long do you need?” He wasn’t sure how much leeway Elizabeth was willing to give Rodney but there wasn’t a doubt in his mind the other man needed it. After all Rodney had been working almost nonstop since they had arrived in Atlantis. Even the most well oiled machine needed a break every now and then.

Rodney brought the beer to his lips and took a long swallow before he placed it back between his knees and glanced over at John. “Four days, John.” He wanted to say a week or two but he knew Atlantis couldn’t last that long without him. “Just four days. Is that too much to ask?”

“Okay. I’ll clear it with Elizabeth.” 

He breathed a sigh of relief as he watched John walk away presumably on his way back to Atlantis. A little time by himself was just what he needed. He didn’t want to think about what had happened although that was all he had been doing since he’d sat down. _How could he have made such a...?_ He was a genius. It shouldn’t have been possible for him to mess it up that badly and yet... _And did it have to happen while John was in the room?_ It seemed every time John was in touching distance his mind turned to... _That was it!_ It was all John’s fault!

Another sigh escaped him this one full of frustration. _What the hell was happening to him?_

“So what do we do now?”

He jumped like he was shot. “John! What the hell are you doing back here?”

“You’re not the only one who could use a break.” He plopped down beside Rodney, leaned over and grabbed a beer out of the cooler. 

Rodney swallowed hard and tried not to notice the way John’s black t-shirt pulled across his chest as he reached for a beer.

The soft sounds of birds calling high in the trees surrounded them as they sat there each lost in his own thoughts.

“How did you find this place?” John was the first to break the silence between them as he gazed at the magnificent view before him. The lake was small and yet beautiful with overhanging trees that looked somewhat like a Weeping Willow from back home. He hadn’t been aware the island had even had a lake but leave it to Rodney to find it.

“Carson and I came across it on our last fishing trip.”

John tried to hide the blaze of jealousy that swept through him and quickly plastered a smile on his face. “I didn’t know you fished.”

“I don’t usually.” Rodney shrugged completely aware that was an understatement. “But for some reason when Carson asked me to go fishing with him I couldn’t make myself say no.”

A wave of disappointment crashed over him. “Oh.” John couldn’t believe it. He was too late. After all the planning and waiting for the right moment he’d let Rodney slip through his fingers.

Rodney turned to face John. “What?”

“Nothing. It’s nice you found this place while fishing with...”

There was something about the tone of John’s voice that made Rodney glance over in surprise. _Could John actually be jealous?_ Rodney told himself to get a grip. There was no way he could be. John would have to see him in _that_ way and Rodney knew for a fact he didn’t. Did he?

“Are you and Carson...” John couldn’t make himself finish the question. He wasn’t even sure he really wanted to know the answer.

“Are me and Carson what?” Rodney’s eyes grew wider as it dawned on him what John was trying not to ask. “Absolutely not. We’re friends. Best friends but that’s it.”

All the tension left John’s body and a sigh of immense relief escaped him with a whoosh. “That’s good. I mean.. okay.”

“Why? What’s it to you?” Rodney cleared his throat. “What I meant was why would it matter to you if I was seeing Carson or not?”

“It matters, Rodney. Believe me.”

When it looked like John wasn’t going to say anything else Rodney chimed in. “Tell me why?”

“Because I have been waiting for months for you to notice I’m here.”

Rodney’s mouth gaped open. _How could John ever think he hadn’t noticed? All he had ever done was notice._ A slow smile began to curve his mouth. “You about done waiting?”

“Hell yeah. Way past done.” John grabbed a fistful of Rodney’s shirt and pulled him closer. Before Rodney could say another word John’s lips were on his.

A groan escaped him as John’s tongue slid into his mouth. Now this was what he had needed for a long time. 

It was better late than never.


End file.
